Thursday, October 1, 2026
In Lynbrook football’s fourth season under head coach Dave Yaker, the Owls earned a strong 7-3 record and enjoyed a run all the way to Hofstra for the Nassau Conference IV semifinals.
Yaker described it as the culmination of years spent redeveloping the program, but a new era begins in 2026.
“The goal last year was to get to Hofstra,” Yaker said. “The program had not been there in almost nine years, and we hadn’t hosted a home playoff game in 13 years. Every team has championship aspirations, but our goal was to get to Hofstra, and we did that.”
With a 6-2 regular season record, Lynbrook’s only defeats last year came against Plainedge and Seaford, the latter of which also defeated it in the semifinals. Plainedge, which went undefeated in its first 10 games, allowed a combined 40 points from all other regular season opponents, but Lynbrook did not go quietly in a 45-35 defeat.
The Owls depended on a core group of seniors in 2025, but Yaker said he anticipates several players stepping up to fill key roles. He will not have to worry about the wide receiver position, as star senior Orji Agwu returns to lead the offense.
As a junior, Agwu broke out to earn 724 receiving yards and five touchdowns. In the game against Plainedge, he caught eight passes for 172 yards and a touchdown, earning his wings against one of the best defenses in the county.
“You have a guy who’s six-foot-four, 185 pounds, runs like a deer and jumps out of the building,” Yaker said. “He’s smart and he’s coachable. That’s the ultimate security blanket.”
Agwu, who also lines up at cornerback, is expected to be a great help to Will O’Riordan, who will take over as starting quarterback. After earning limited reps on offense last year, the senior will benefit from having a premium receiver core at his disposal early on.
“We’re just looking to get him like real experience,” Yaker said of O’Riordan. “Then, we’re hoping that he can carry along. He’s got a big arm, so we’re hoping that he could be a guy who can get the ball to a guy like Agwu and some of the other receivers that we have.”
O’Riordan will have another massive target on the other side, as Yaker said he expects senior Peter Rahaniotis to step up as the other starting receiver. The triple-threat player has also contributed as a defensive end and punter. In Lynbrook’s playoff loss to Seaford, he caught his first touchdown pass after earning more reps down the stretch.
Lynbrook will employ a committee of four running backs, led by junior Tommy Potash, who will take on an expanded role on offense after starting as a cornerback last year. He will rush alongside seniors Chris Sommer and Mark Chojnacki, as well as sophomore Luke Marinos, who had a successful JV campaign.
“We like what we have back there,” Yaker said. “We have four guys, four very capable guys, four different guys. They’re all built a little bit differently, but they all bring a different skill set, so we’re definitely excited.”
Last year, Potash and Chojnacki made the most of limited carries in the backfield, with Chojnacki scoring a 39-yard touchdown against Malverne and Potash stepping into a wildcat quarterback role as needed. Sommer and Chojnacki have also made their presence felt on defense as linebackers where senior Marco Palleschi leads the charge both physically and vocally.
On the offensive line, right tackle Alex Ioannou and left guard Jovanni Grullon will return to protect Lynbrook’s new passer. The seniors will likely be joined by sophomore Aiden Brown, senior Klev Vilsaint, and junior Jonuel Grullon, Jovanni’s brother.
Yaker said he also plans to deploy Ioannou on the defensive line, where he will join the likes of Potash, Agwu, Chojnacki, Sommer, Palleschi and others as key two-way contributors.
Senior Phillip Dzieciolowski will return as Lynbrook’s kicker, joining the punter Rahaniotis to form a dynamic special teams unit for the Owls, who open the campaign at defending county champion Seaford.
To read more from the Herald's 2026 High School Football Preview, click here.
